Originally Posted by
gloopy
So where does that leve us? A stagnant domestic fleet "maybe" getting as many 90's as 9's are leaving, and significant culling of international. Do we have a plan or are we really thinking we can shrink to prosperity by abandoning market share and letting every third world airline and day 1 start up run amuck and just hoping our retirements absorb the draw down as we fade away?
The end game is a Transnational airline. Never forget that. The North Atlantic JV with AF is as close as we can get with out some Foreign Ownership law changes. Once that happens the gloves come off. AF has the money, even though we have the size.
AF is flying the Lion's Share of the Large metal. They note that they are going after the Leisure fares, and we are going after the Business traveler, but the reality is that we are flying thinner routes, or off peak times while they are flying larger metal at peak times. (CDG-ATL for eg) All of that is fine, but realize what it is.
The JV has provided access and a guarantee of more than half of the block hours due to the equipment that we fly, but it also has given DAL a foreign partner that get the advantage of the import-export bank, and the result is obvious. They are buying a ton of large metal. We may get a few 777-300's (10-20) but the reality is that AF will be flying the majority of the "Super Premium" flying for their financial advantage that our own government has given all carriers that compete with us. Ugly yes, but it is the truth.
There is no need for a DAL Foreign holding company to get the discounts, they already have it, it is called AF.